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Questions the Islamic Society of Boston Should Answer
(Boston Globe) Jeff Jacoby - When completed, the $24 million mosque being built by the Islamic Society of Boston will be the largest Muslim house of prayer in the northeastern U.S. But for more than two years, questions have been raised about just how committed the Islamic Society really is to moderation and interfaith understanding. The society's original founder, Abdurahman Alamoudi, is now serving a 23-year prison term for his role in an assassination plot. The Treasury Department identified him as a fund-raiser for al-Qaeda, and he has publicly proclaimed his support for two notorious terrorist groups, Hamas and Hizballah. Yusef al-Qaradawi, who for several years was listed as a trustee, is a radical Islamist cleric who has endorsed suicide bombings and the killing of Americans in Iraq. Another Islamic Society trustee, Walid Fitaihi, is the author of writings that denounce Jews as ''murderers of the prophets." When Ahmed Mansour, an Egyptian-born Muslim scholar, examined the Islamic Society's library in 2003, he found books and videotapes promoting hostility toward the U.S. and insulting other religions.